Saturday, July 29, 2006

COFFEE BREAK NUMBER 17


Well I've put it off long enough...Here is page 17 of Monster Disco. I was really disappointed with this one. I wanted it to come out so good, as it is the first time we see Draculas Brides as back-up singers. But I was just having an off day I guess. I rushed everything, the pencils were not well planned, the lettering was choppy, the spot blacks were slap n'dash, and the result is a big mess.

This series is about learning however, and making the most of my free time. The pages are done "on the go" as it were and God knows that can sometimes be very challenging. I've tried not to beat myself up too badly over this page, since I have been encouraging my friend Megan not to be self-deprecating, but it sure is tough sometimes.

There are already two-or three pages of Monster Disco that will have to be totally re-drawn, and this one will now be added to that pile. Part of the problem has to do with envisioning this vast studio scene, and then trying to squash that down into a panel ruled out to actual print size, (another part of this series challenge) It was just a simply bad decision to lay things out that way. I should've opened with the largest panel for the studio, then the two blocks, then finished with the wide screen shot of the brides.

The point is, all this is valuable lessons that can later be applied to my more serious comicbook work. Also, we are pushing the story ahead still which is a good thing. Hopefully the next page will see me back on track artistically.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't beat yourself up too much on the new page, Mitch. It really is okay. OH sure, the changes you want will certainly help, but for doing this pretty much off the cuff, as you have to in this project, I think you are hitting more homers than you think. Keep em coming.

Colin Tedford said...

Yeah, it's a pretty nice-looking page, all the more so when the time constraint is taken into account. I wouldn't have taken this for an "off-day".

emd said...

To add my two cents...you are doing a fine job...as Ron Fortier said, the changes would help, but your working method dictates you get it done. I think that your story telling and panel layout is what is important and you do a good job there. You set the stage a lot better than many of those pro comic artists who specialize in making every panel a 'pin-up'that has no relationship to the surrounding panels...they are the ones who should be beating themselves up for not understanding what 'sequential' means.